BREAKING: California Takes First Step to Become Sanctuary State

I suppose any state that elects Jerry Brown as its governor — again — isn’t too firmly tied to reality, so it’s no surprise when California passes some profoundly ignorant legislation.

However, the state’s ignorance became positively sinister on Monday, when the California Senate passed a bill that would turn the Golden State into America’s first sanctuary state.

According to The Sacramento Bee, Senate Bill 54 would prohibit funds from being used for local California authorities to assist federal immigration enforcement. It passed Monday on a party-line vote, 27-12, and was headed to the lower house.

“We are trying to make our communities safer and be intelligent about this,” Democrat Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León said. “No rhetoric and no bluster.”

However, the bill faced heavy opposition from law enforcement and Republicans.

“This bill is unsafe,” said Sen. Jeff Stone, a Republican. “This bill is unlawful. This bill is designed to make California a sanctuary for certain dangerous criminals.”

“SB 54 shields child abusers, human traffickers, and elder abusers from deportation and guarantees their return to our communities, and that’s why our fight must continue,” Republican State Senator Joel Anderson said in an email, according to Breitbart.

“Over 31,000 Californians signed our petition and helped force the author to amend SB 54 so that murderers, rapists and child molesters would not be shielded from federal immigration authorities, but as long as felons are protected, we cannot stop fighting,” Anderson explained.

Of course, given the Trump administration’s policy of denying federal funds for sanctuary jurisdictions — and given California’s precarious financial state — passing Senate Bill 54 could also have huge implications for the state.

Sadly, California isn’t the only state that could make itself a sanctuary for illegal aliens. According to WJZ-TV, Maryland was considering similar legislation. There, though, the governor is a Republican who is vigorously opposed to the bill, which could present difficulties for supporters.